9 Apr 2017

Filipino maid

Filipino maid ill-treated baby, Straits Times, 7 Apr 2017A domestic worker placed a handkerchief over a baby's face and shook the infant's head twice in a rough manner, a court heard. For ill-treating the child under her care, Filipina Melody Garcia Narciso, 46, was sentenced to eight week's jail on Friday (April 7) after she pleaded guilty to the Oct 19 offence.A second charge of pushing the child's head in a rough manner and hitting her head earlier that day was taken into consideration in sentencing. The court heard that the baby's mother decided to check on Narciso and the baby girl via the closed-circuit television camera that was installed in the victim's room that evening. She saw the maid place a handkerchief over the victim's face and shake her head twice in quick succession in a rough manner.

Narciso had first placed her right hand over the victim's face, shaking the baby's head up and down. She then placed both hands on the baby's head, this time shaking it from left to right. The victim was strapped to the front of the maid's body in a baby carrier, and Narciso was trying to make the baby sleep. Narciso's employer waited for her husband to return home before reporting to the police that evening. Deputy Public Prosecutor Kelly Ho asked the court to impose at least four weeks' jail. She cited two aggravating factors - the victim was very young, vulnerable and defenceless. And Narciso's actions were "inherently dangerous", although no external injuries were found. (Winter: For ill-treating a vulnerable infant, FDW received only 8 weeks' jail. Maximum is 8 years so how much 'discount' was given? Activists, aren't you proud that you've made the Spore vulnerable to suffer yet the offenders aren't severely punished, receive similar terms/harshness of an employer?)Pleading for leniency, Narciso said she was very remorseful for what she had done. She said at the time, she had been coughing the whole night and did not have enough sleep. "I had to wake up early and was trying to put the baby to sleep, and rest early," she added. District Judge Jasvender Kaur backdated her sentence to her remand on March 10.Narciso could have been fined up to $4,000 and/or jailed for up to four years.New payment structure for maids from Philippines, Straits Times, 25 Jan 2017Employers hoping to hire domestic workers from the Philippines can lend them up to $1,100 to cover their expenses. The helpers should use only up to half of their monthly salaries to repay the loan.The new payment structure, which takes effect immediately, is meant to provide more clarity for workers and employers, said Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore) president K. Jayaprema."In the past, no one talked about the actual amount needed. We feel this is a sensible figure and should make the costs lighter and clearer, for employers as well," she said.The latest guidelines are the result of about four years of discussions between her association and the Philippine-based Association of Licensed Recruitment Agencies to Singapore, along with the Philippine government, she added.Singapore has about 237,100 foreign domestic workers, and around 70,000 are from the Philippines. Under the new scheme, it is up to the domestic workers to decide how to use the cash advance, which can be provided by employers, agents or other institutions.The associations found that the costs of preparing to work here, which include charges for pre-employment training, medical examinations and getting a passport, add up to about $1,100. Employers here would still cover the agency fees. Previously, employment agents would specify a lump sum for employers to pay, which includes a loan as well as fees charged by the Philippines recruitment agency and the local employment agency.The numbers could vary significantly and go up to over $3,000 in fees, while domestic workers could spend up to seven months with almost all their wages deducted to cover a portion of the charges.Yesterday, about 150 agents attended a briefing on the changes at the Civil Service Club in Tessensohn Road, where they had a dialogue with Philippine Embassy labour attache Ramon Pastrana.Mr Pastrana said that while the new scheme is a private arrangement, the Philippine Overseas Labour Office at the embassy here is supportive and will continue to act against agencies if there are any complaints about overcharging. He also stressed that it is illegal for Filipino domestic workers to be charged placement fees to work abroad. "This initiative is not a reason for agencies here to just go charge any salary deduction from the worker," he said."The $1,100 is just a cap for the workers, to cover whatever they need in the Philippines. If the workers say they don't need that, then there is no need for the two agencies to have a repayment scheme." Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, chairman of the Centre for Domestic Employees, said the move to study and set out the costs domestic workers face before going abroad to work is welcome. "The market has been charging more than that and there is a lack of transparency, so this is one step forward towards making it clearer and also establishing a cap," he said.Nation Employment director Lim Chee Chong said the new scheme also helps to level the playing field among maid agencies. "Now, we shouldn't see any... agencies charging employers very low fees but transferring the costs to the domestic workers," he said.Maid jailed 6 months for pinching toddler, Channel News Asia, 24 Jun 2016A 26-year-old domestic helper who took her anger out on her employer’s two-year-old son - by pinching the boy whenever she became frustrated with his older brother - was jailed six months on Thursday (Jun 23) for ill-treating the boy.Fajardo Elizabeth Esquiral admitted she had picked on the toddler because he was only two years old, and unable to understand or verbalise the abuse. The domestic helper who was hired by the boys’ mother in July 2013 — was on Thursday (June 23) convicted for one count of “willfully causing the toddler unnecessary physical pain” under the Children and Young Persons Act.The court heard that Esquiral, whose main duties were to care for the well-being of the two boys, often got angry and frustrated at the older boy, whom she described as “very naughty and (would) not listen to her”. She chose to vent her anger on the younger boy because he was “unlikely to be able to report her actions”, the court was told.Esquiral shared a room with the toddler and pinched him regularly — about three times a week — over a period of 10 months between March 2015 and January this year.(Winter: How come the mum discovered only 10 months later? Why she didn't spend some time to take care of the boy eg shower him .... 2 years old can't point out pain if you've talked to him? I am 'delighted' to be given a 'chance to bond' with my girl. When my FDW is off, I'm in charge so I know when to ask when I can't locate things or notice something not right on my girl. No matter how much you trust your FDW, she is still a paid employee... a foreigner in Spore, definitely not a family member so you need to spot check once a while. Jailed six months is so light for the hurt FDW inflicted on an innocent toddler, a victim she vented her anger.)The mother, 39, confronted Esquiral, who claimed she had not noticed the scars. After taking the two-year-old to hospital, where a doctor documented marks, scratches and bruises all over the boy’s body, the mother questioned Esquiral again.This time, the maid confessed and the mother called the police. Urging the court to sentence Esquiral to six months’ jail, DPP Poh noted that the abuse took place over a prolonged period of 10 months. DPP Poh also pointed out the abuse was clearly premeditated, as the maid had chosen the younger boy to vent her frustration on, as he could not have reported the abuse.In mitigation, Esquiral, who was not represented, said she is remorseful. Sobbing in the dock, the petite woman told the court via an interpreter that she is the sole breadwinner of her family. Her elderly parents are unemployed and she is putting her younger siblings through school, she said.In sentencing Esquiral to six months’ jail, District Judge Bala Reddy noted the maid had preyed on a defenceless victim, who “had to endure all the pain that you caused”. For ill-treating the boy, Esquiral could have been jailed up to four years and/or fined up to S$4,000.Facebook comments:Saraswathy Ratha Sivakumar -- Completely disgusted with the lack of compassion or responsibility of more and more helpers in recent news. U are here to work but you go around killing, torturing innocent people? Uncivilised creatures.

Yan A Le -- wah.. took mum 10 months to eventually notice the scars and injuries on the poor toddler's body. Good job mum! clearly u have been so involved in caring for the boy so much so that it took u 10 months to eventually discover the bruises...

James Tan -- Bread winner of the family or not, if she really care about her family she should have thought of the consequences of abusing other people's child.

May Brathwaite -- Why employ maids? Yours and your child's life are at perils with bunny boiler foreign maids. Why pay to be tortured and murdered by the maids.

Karen Morales Provido -- Maids never want anything bad to happen along the journey of their two years contract...neither they want to kill someone under their supervision. Well,no one could understand fully the MAIDS unless they're one of them. If you are the maid May Brathwaite…will you turn out this way if you're in this maids shoes? Surely you won't,right? How come when employers abused their maids..it's not that big issue? We don't work abroad just for fun or being mentally abused. We tried our best we can do to make things better. No maids has ever wanted to kill any of the person inside the premises of her employer.

May Brathwaite -- Karen Morales Provido, i m not talking about me but focus on the issues at hand about maids doing bad things. Can you explain why some maids especially those torturing a baby or child? Can I assume you work as a maid now?

Saraswathy Ratha Sivakumar -- correct. 'No maids has ever wanted to kill any of the person inside the premises of her employer' - so why do they do it? Care to shed some light since you seem to be supporting these crazy helpers so much?r....do you really knows what has been happening to this family and why the MAID turned out like this? I'm not supporting them. And I'm one of the MAIDS you all people are looking down. We aren't crazy! Why don't you try to be my maid and I'll give you all the responsiblities inside my household excluding my husband. I'll see how could you cope when you encounter the same problem.

May Brathwaite -- Karen Morales Provido, I can understand you are being defensive as a maid and you may not do bad things as this maid ill treating the 2 years boy of her employer and hope you are not condoning her action in this case. I think you are taking this case too personally. You can defend your position of the maid when there is a case of maid being ill treated by her employer or in the worse scenario being murdered. I have not read of a case of maid being murdered by their employers here in fb.Tell me one thing Karen Morales Provido, do you have children of your own? To turn the table on you : Would you allow some maid to abuse your children?

Shahril M. Harman -- Karen Morales Provido you haven't been reading the news have you? Errant employers are sent to jail, even caned for abusing their helpers. This is Singapore my dear where justice rules over everyone irregardless of race, language or religion

Shahril M. Harman -- Karen Morales Provido I have a Filipino nanny helper. I know how tiring taking care of my active 2 year old can be. Cause I take care of him when she takes her off on Sunday. She is treated like family. What we eat she eats, at home or which restaurants we go to. We all start eating together, not leaving her only with leftovers. I pay her 13 month pay. She is allowed to keep in touch with her family on our wifi. When my Son takes his afternoon nap, she is allowed to lie down and rest with him. Not all employers are monsters are we?

Karen Morales Provido -- My elder son was so rude to my helper first when she started at my home behind my back. Yes, he was rude with her when I was not home because he knew that I would interfere if I'd ever see him behaving like that. What my helper did, and I was so grateful with what she did, was to sit me down and tell me what happened at home when I was away. Together, we spent months building bond between my elder son and my helper, and they work very well with each other now. That's how the way it should be, not secretly punish a 2yo helpless child when she is not happy with his brother. So take it personal and be defensive as you want, the helper in the article deserves to be punished with what she did and don't blame others on her reaction.15 mins

Shahril M. Harman -- Karen Morales Provido you know why they put news of abusive employers in the news when they get charged in court? It's so that if at any time you feel you have been abused by your employers, you know justice will prevail if you report it. But taking matters into your own hands by victimizing a 2 year old is making it worse.

Saraswathy Ratha Sivakumar -- Karen Morales Provido , it's not just 'blame the maid for it'. The way you put it, seems like someone else did it. This maid has been charged for a crime-abusing the child. The employer relying on the helper too much is no excuse for the latter to abuse her child or trust.

Liz Ng -- Why did it take 10 months for the mum to notice the injuries? She's never bathed or changed him!

Alison Yuen -- Y only 6months?! She abused the boy for 10months! Should sentence her for 2 yrs n never step back to SG!

Ray Choy -- The maid deserves condemnation. After your wicked deeds your family needs deserve no sympathy because you caused it and it's not so easy to forgive you!

Cassandra Addams -- they should be caned and hung. a death sentence would be in order

Alex J Pillai -- Don't ever get maids to take care of your kids no matter how good they are. It's your responsibility as a parent to nurture them. If can't don't have children. Simple.. Get it!!Cynthia Tan -- Don't give the crap excuse of saying "sole breadwinner" blah blah blah! If you so serious about your work that u fear u may lose your job since you are the sole breadwinner then you should have known better not to do anything STUPID! If you are not up for the job, please QUIT! No excuses for ABUSE!

Yilan Nelson -- Only 6 months? And the mitigating reason is so nonsensical. What does being a sole breadwinner have got to do with anything? Gives you license to harm others?

Deltamaris Sri Wulandari -- I just dnt get it, only aftr 10 month the mother of the baby notice, didnt u ever hold ur child or shower ur child for even once for the past 10 months? N for the helper who abuse the kid, shame on u, where's ur heart? How can u lay hand on a baby just cuz u upset at his brother? Clearly u cant take care of a kid! N u r not fit to be a nanny either

Rhapsody Hues -- Why was this piece of news given only a tiny section of space in the Straits Times? Is it Straits Times way to shield errant maids from public glare once again? Why is our country shielding maids like they can do no wrong? They are so protected these days that they are harming employers and their young or elderly charges. Even when they kill, they are only handed out lenient jail terms. So yes, the maids are not to blame for abusing or killing their employers or their young charges. Our leniency and overwhelming sympathy for them have led them to such actions.

Donn Chin -- Yes it always happen but no physical abuse evidence. That's how they act like an angel in front of employers but doing dirty trick behind. If it happens on infant it's worst as they can't speak. CCTV is the best to monitor this kind of situation. And when they mix around with their friends in Singapore won't be surprised they share dirty tricks just to get things done in the household.

Bosses must now pay Filipino maids at least $550 a month, AsiaOne, 21 Jan 2016Employers will have to pay at least $550 a month to employ a Filipino maid, up from $500 - the first rise in three years. This comes three months after the Indonesian embassy here told agents that the minimum salary for maids from its country must be $550 a month, also up from $500.Although there was no official announcement from the Philippines side, employment agents here told The Straits Times that employment contracts submitted at the embassy last week had been rejected because the salaries were too low.The minimum salary for maids set by the Philippines government had been US$400 for over a decade. To avoid exchange rate fluctuations, the Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore) (AEAS) had an agreement more than three years ago with the Philippine Embassy here that it would be set at $500 locally, said AEAS president K. Jayaprema.As the US dollar has strengthened - US$400 is now worth around S$575 - the change is not unexpected, she said. "Salaries do increase over time; it is a natural progression," Ms Jayaprema said, adding that while some groups of helpers such as those doing caregiving and eldercare roles were already being paid above $600 due to better qualifications, the majority still received around $500 a month.Employers also have to pay a foreign worker levy of $265 a month, although a concessionary rate of $60 is available for most households, for instance those with a Singaporean child below the age of 16 or an elderly person aged 65 and above.The Philippine Embassy's labour attache could not be reached for comment yesterday. There are about 70,000 Filipino maids here, out of a total of about 227,100 maids.Just two months ago, the embassy tightened restrictions on its nationals coming to Singapore to work as maids, as it started processing only five employment contracts per employment agency each week. A few months earlier, it halved the number of job orders, which are the number of workers an agency can recruit at one time, allocated to each employment agency.A Manpower Ministry spokesman said: "Employment agencies and employers who wish to recruit foreign domestic workers should consider requirements administered by foreign governments or embassies carefully when making their hiring decisions." The latest change may cause some delays for employers waiting for their employment contracts to be approved, said Ms Jayaprema. Some agents will have to reapply for a work permit with the new salary and redo other paperwork such as the security bond.Mr Stephen Chia of 21st Century Employment Agency said he had been expecting the increase after the Indonesian Embassy increased its minimum wage for maids and the US dollar appreciated. "This month we already started to play it safe and tell employers to anticipate the adjustment," he said.

Portal lets maid take control of earnings sent home to Philippines, Straits Times, 24 Jan 2016
Remitting money home is sometimes a frustrating exercise for Filipino maid Nilda Sesaldo, 37. Despite sending home a generous portion of her hard-earned money for her family to spend on necessities like groceries, the amount often fell short.

Much of the 10,000 pesos (S$300) which she sent home monthly to Cebu was often spent on undesirable things. "Once, I sent money back for medicine, but one of my brothers used some of it for gambling," Ms Sesaldo said. Last month, she could ensure that the remittance was used for what she intended - by sending her 17-year-old daughter SMS codes to redeem gift vouchers for groceries at the supermarket and a new phone at a local shop.

Ms Sesaldo bought the codes through BeamAndGo, an online portal which allows Filipinos working overseas to remit money in the form of vouchers. They can be used to redeem anything from mobile phone top-ups to health insurance.

Portal co-founder Jonathan Chua, a Chinese Filipino in his 40s who has lived in Singapore since 2003, started the site in 2014 to give workers a tool to manage their money. While the uptake was slow initially, the portal now has about 1,400 users here, with some $10,000 transacted a month. "The way cash remittance service works now is it empowers the recipient. We want to empower the sender instead," he said.

Senders can pay for the vouchers by credit card, PayPal or at remittance store I-Remit, which incurs a service fee of US$1.99 (S$2.85) or more. They can also buy site credits with cash, at no extra charge. Mr Chua, who is also chief executive of a software development company, spends his Sundays in malls or at the Singapore Botanic Gardens to help maids without credit cards load credits into their accounts.

Figures from the Philippine central bank website show that from January to November last year, Filipinos working in Singapore remitted US$1.25 billion. Another platform trying to improve foreign maids' financial situation is employment portal HelperChoice. It aims to help them get jobs without having to fork out several months' salary in agent fees, and to provide employers with more freedom in searching for a suitable helper. The site, which started in 2012 in Hong Kong, caught on in Singapore recently.

There are now close to 3,000 maids in Singapore on its LinkedIn-style platform, and 1,100 employers, 250 of whom are Singaporeans. The service is free for helpers, while potential employers pay a monthly fee. If they find a match, they can talk directly through the site's messaging system and make further arrangements.

Hong Kong-based founder Laurence Fauchon said her experience hiring a helper spurred her to start the site. HelperChoice did not provide figures on the total number of matches made in Singapore, but it has placed more than 5,000 workers in jobs globally.

Marketing manager Chia H. H., 38, said she pays $49 a month for the site to save on the $2,000 agency fee, as well as to browse through more profiles, not just the five or six that agencies usually provide. "The downside is I have to settle the documentation myself, but I've found someone who is hopefully a good match for my family," said Ms Chia, who has a two-year-old daughter. She found a Filipino maid to work for her family after her contract ends next month.

Mr Jolovan Wham, executive director of the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics, said employment agencies should consider adopting such a model, where agencies collect less fees by allowing employers and maids settle some of the administrative matters themselves.

"It's a recognition that domestic workers are exploited by exorbitant recruitment fees," he said.

**********24 Jan 2016Scratches and bruises have been noted on my girl. Early Jan or end Dec, JA's long and sharp nail scatched my girl's top left eye brow area. It was quite a long and deep cut. My girl was moving too much so I couldn't get a clear shot.This morning, another scratch found on my girl's forehead .... JA said could be due to her long nails.

Both incidents, she admitted could be her nails. Claimed she lost her nail cutter... is that a good reason to be 'careless' or 'forgiven'? One of my house rules was to have trimmed short nails but she chose to 'forget'.Also reminded JA to brush my daughter's teeth well. Before I employed her, my ex-Filipino maid was able to get my girl's teeth brushed well so her dental appointment was yearly, for scaling and polishing only. With JA, my current Filipino FDW, the dental appointment became half yearly and the past 2 appointments, my girl had 3 fillings, included drilling that made my girl struggled hard. JA claimed she brushed daily. Brushing the front but not the back, especially the molars is as good as telling me she is cutting corners, not responsible/sincere to give my girl better care. JA just want to pass her days doing shabby job ... till one day I can no longer tolerate her working attitude.Although the maid levy is down but JA's performance doesn't qualify her for a good increment. With the recent news of new Filipiino maids going to get S$550 per month (due to stronger US dollars ie US$400 conversion), I am not sure with such poor performance, should I adjust her salary this year or wait till next year when her 2-year contract comes to an end. Giving her a bit pay raise is to keep her salary 'reasonable', slightly higher than newbies (inexperience FDWs). The dilemma is, I don't want the sudden increment to cause JA to think she did a great job.Singapore is a training ground/stepping stone for FDWs (regardless how lousy they are) who want to work in Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc. Govt/MOM and maid agencies dare not guarantee that proper screening will be conducted based on the high agency fee and salaries cum live-in benefits that employers are paying (easily S$1500 per month per FDW). Therefore, the next maid could be worse than JA. This is what most employers are afraid of. Giving the current maid a contract renewal doesn't mean she's good.... a number of full-time working employers just don't want to go thru the hassle or face a FDW who could be worse than current. Spending money, pleasing source countries and paid salaries cum live-in benefits timely do not mean maids of better quality and work attitude will be there for us. If something goes wrong, we faced the music and financial loss.Some agencies resorted to lying, purposely doing job mismatch and causing both FDW and employer to suffer .... time and money (both parties) wasted to feed these evil middlemen.... agencies stand to gain no matter what happened to FDW and employer.... no penalty even if agents purposely did a job mismatch or failed to screen FDWs who don't really need a job as domestic worker. We need helpers not play-girls or an overgrown 'baby' in our house!

**********Pay Filipino maids at least $550 a month, Straits Times, 21 Jan 2016Employers will have to pay at least $550 a month to employ a Filipino maid, up from $500 - the first rise in three years. This comes three months after the Indonesian Embassy here told agents that the minimum salary for maids from its country must be $550 a month, also up from $500.Although there was no official announcement from the Philippines' side, employment agents here told The Straits Times that employment contracts submitted at the embassy last week had been rejected as the salaries were too low.

The minimum salary for maids set by the Philippine government had been US$400 for over a decade. To avoid exchange rate fluctuations, the Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore) (AEAS) had an agreement more than three years ago with the Philippine Embassy here that it would be set at $500 locally, said AEAS president K. Jayaprema.As the US dollar has strengthened - US$400 is now worth around S$575 - the change is not unexpected, she said. "Salaries do increase over time; it is a natural progression," Ms Jayaprema said, adding that while some groups of helpers such as those doing caregiving and eldercare roles were already being paid above $600 due to better qualifications, the majority still received around $500 a month.Employers also have to pay a foreign worker levy of $265 a month, although a concessionary rate of $60 is available for most households, for instance those with a Singaporean child below the age of 16 or an elderly person aged 65 and above.The Philippine Embassy's labour attache could not be reached for comment yesterday. There are about 70,000 Filipino maids here, out of a total of about 227,100 maids. Just two months ago, the embassy tightened restrictions on its nationals coming to Singapore to work as maids, as it started processing only five employment contracts per employment agency each week. A few months earlier, it halved the number of job orders, which are the number of workers an agency can recruit at one time, allocated to each employment agency.A Manpower Ministry spokesman said: "Employment agencies and employers who wish to recruit foreign domestic workers should consider requirements administered by foreign governments or embassies carefully when making their hiring decisions."The latest change may cause some delays for employers waiting for their employment contracts to be approved, said Ms Jayaprema. Some agents will have to reapply for a work permit with the new salary and redo other paperwork such as the security bond.Mr Stephen Chia of 21st Century Employment Agency said he had been expecting the increase after the Indonesian Embassy increased its minimum wage for maids and the US dollar appreciated."This month we already started to play it safe and tell employers to anticipate the adjustment," he said.Facebook comment:May Ong -- Before MOM agrees to all these countries' maids' salaries increase, have you ever thought if the people who employ these maids also get salary adjustment from their companies for justification ??We as employers kept hearing the increase of maids' salaries like the recent one was Indonesian and now Filipino.There had been a tremendous increase in maids' salaries from $200+ till now $550 which is a financial strain especially those people who are unemployed or earn less but still need the help of maid. Under such circumstances, our government ought to give us higher subsidies to cope with the ever increasing of maids' salaries.Lisa Hong-Ping Kong -- Yah, sure, government should assign each family a helper (and 2 helpers for those with 2 kids or more) FOC! The whole world owes you, izit? If you cant bear even to pay a decent living wage to the person doing pah ka liau in your home, please save your money and do the work yourself. Overinflated sense of entitlement much?

William Sam -- What kind of warped logic do you have, may ong! How much they can exchange the pay here for when they go back home or how much more they get paid compared to their jobs back home should not have any bearing on how much we should pay them here!Does it mean that if their previous job back home is sgd$50 a month then by paying them say $150, we have tripled their pay and so they deserve only $150? Maybe people like you would be earning very little overseas as well so your employer should not pay you so much here.

Julyn Elizabeth -- Totally agree with you, May Ong.That's a 10% increment.For those employed for elderly parents, no choice.For those who are trying to start a family, will think twice now. That's not very encouraging, right?Btw, what's the reason for the increment? Suka suka?

Guo Bao Xiong -- Ong Andy Of course who cares about millionaires like our prime minister. He can have a hundred maid each paid $5000. Many whom I know that employs maid are not wealthy, they're low income struggling with old parents, kids and work.

Merlyn Siew Lian Tan -- I've not had an increment for the last 6 years and I work my guts out!!! A 10% increment is hell high plus I have to cope with uni going kids ! Thank goodness , I DON'T have a maid now !!!!

Mary Mah -- True that Western countries most people do their own chores or hire part-time help, but note that they use daycare and assisted living for the aged facilities more than in Asia. A domestic helper play a role in supporting child, kids and elderly care.

Dhana Latchmi Mahesh -- Countries like Indonesia & Philippines just trying to protect their female citizens who choose to work overseas as maids.. Can't blame them.But I agree that our government should do something to help those who require maid as well.. If both parents need to go to work, & there's no one else to take care of children or old people... There is no choice but to have a maid.. People who can't afford maid or can handle things without maid...r usually with family members with a helping hand to look after children, or only one of the parents earn a living & the other stays at home... Not the situation for lot of us Singaporeans where both parties had to work to make ends meet...

凤丽 -- Since we are going to pay more for helpers , then it is time for them to live out ,rent their own rooms from others , they get their freedom and we employers will feel less stressed out too .

Linda Tan -- Totally agree with may ong, maid salary keep increasing n how can those who employ maid pay for it if they rely need help. Rich sporean a lot but there also have poor sporean. Some poor employ maid becos of taking care their parent or children not others. So y cant MOM help sporean to have maid with low salary. Last time i also have maid n their salary only $230. Now $550, so is increasing of $220....i thk MOM is gng to increase their pay to $1000 n who is able to employ a maid with $1000 salary. Spore MOM is helping the maid n not the employer at all. Its very very unfair. Nowadays maid r not good at all n they only want freedom n work less n some more HIGH SALARY.

William Sam -- Those who insists that their maids are not good, why are you keeping them then?

Edmund Tan -- So by your logic, singaporeans who get employed in new york where the salary is much higher do not deserve the NYC salary? Should they be paid sg salary while living in NYC? Maids should belong only to the richest people. Maids in most developed countries get paid 2k++ and here people are complaining at $550. Unless you have some kind of disability, a maid is not a need but a want.

Sebastian Poggel -- Exactly Edmund. Fact is most Singaporeans can barely affor their life essentials let alone a proper car but then demand luxuries such as a maid. The heat has evaporated peoples brains, it's unbelievable. Where do people get such a sickening mentality?

Levin Ng -- Who is going to take care of the child when u r at work? The child care and infant care is so expensive. In singapore it is so difficult if only 1 person is working and the wife is not working. Your parents might be working too. So who is going to take care of youe child? Your boss?

Yip Kwang Low -- Ang mo FTs are the ones that employ pinoy maids and it is becoming a must have item because its cheap. Raising the levy is still very cheap for them. You don't find them employing maids back home bcos it is very expensive.

Liu INan -- people asking how do you cope without a maid should be asking a different question, how did their parents raised them without maids. or are they really saying they are not the kind of tough Singaporeans their parents were?

Angie Liu-- Salary kept increasing but quality of maids is questionable. Just does not justify

May Ong Yep -- Angie Liu, got to depend on luck. Am also now having problem dealing with my 3-month Indonesian maid who has mood wing syndrome sigh.

Angie Liu -- All same same. My mom who has stroke n is half immobile has to tend to the indo maid everytime she "faint" as n wen she like. The maid will auto get up wen she feel like it. Sigh....

May Ong -- Huh, my goodness and end up your half immobile mother got to attend to the maid ??!! If maid continues to be in poor health, it is high time to change a new one since she is of no help at all.

Feihua Ni -- Huh?? So the basic point is your employer must pay you more because the maids' government asked for more. And you guys accept this logic ?? And it is the Singapore's government fault ? Then what about those who don't employ maids? They don't deserve more ? Or if the foreign governments ask for yearly 25% increment you then demand 25% pay increment ? What the hell is wrong with you and your logic ?

William Sam -- Exactly! Something very wrong with their logic. Cannot afford maid then adjust lifestyle. Some people like to spend and enjoy life so need dual family income but are not willing to accept the need to employ a maid if they do so and want to complain about issues that arise only with the employment of maids.

Mei Liew -- Don't be fooled by the term "helper", most of them after post-probation period show their "true colors", you will see. Especially those living in town already seen quite a lot during weekends and sometimes weekdays too. Pay hike for the same or even poorer service, sounds like extortion, not protection. Protection of maid is to enforce the law when violation against human rights, more pay is plain money transaction.Dolly Peh -- our poor NS men monthly allowance is only $10 more and Minister say it is a privilege to do NS yet the under privilege are better than our NS men. These maid dont have to worry about food & lodging and if they are thrifty and able to save S$5,000 they can build a nice 3 bed-room house in Philippine.

Angeline Lee -- It's time to stop hiring maids from the Philippines. The Philippines government has been dependent on maids' remittances for their GDP but has done little to improve opportunities in the country for its people. If your household finances can't afford a maid, car and overseas holidays twice a year, then make some sacrifices and give up one of these.

William Sam -- Maids help to take care of our kids and household chores so that we can focus on our careers. They are as important to a family as the school teacher. So if school teachers can get free parking and pay increment, why can't maids have pay increment?

Linda Tan -- If u dont have maid so u dont have problen with maid at all. So u better stop all this comment that giving increment for maid. So u thk all maid is gd? If maid is gd, last month there is a maid who abuse the employer 2 kids n so u thk maid abusing kids is gd for them? Killing employer also maid jobs n stealing money also their jobs too? Pls lah, maid can do whatever they want if employer not at home. They will create problem n be funny behind employer back n employer also dont know. I ever have maid so i know.

William Sam -- Going by your logic, those MPs who have no kids cannot comment on policies regarding children and those who did not serve NS cannot comment on NS issues. Your intellectual capacity is very impressive, Linda Tan.

William Sam -- Only people who are unsuccessful and do not earn enough to pay for the $50 increment like you will complain. I do not hear my friends complaining about it.

Mitch Oyonoyon -- It's a good thing but for sure only those who are newly hired will benefit this, coz there are helpers i know that worked more than 10 years in 1 employer but only get a $500 pay or even less. Some stayed that long just because they treat them well.

GothZela Eyang Putri -- I don't mind paying them more IF they are sincere in their work and honest. The gov should perhaps omit the levy totally since employers are already paying for Insurance, medical, lodging and so forth - what's more employers are liable if the helper run away or got pregnant and breach the contract.Andrine Tan -- For those who are commenting how people in the west cope without maids, this is how. Working hours are much shorter. In some countries, they work a 4 day work week. Overtime is not as common as here, and bosses do not expect employees on standby after office hours. There are many hourly rated housekeepers and baby sitters to help out. It is time our government allow more maids from other countries eg Cambodia. A couple of years back, there was a pilot scheme with Cambodian maids. I wonder what has happened.

May Ong -- Our 37 year old Indonesia maid is married with hubby who is a farmer and a young son 13 yr old to support. Hence she certainly require her salary to support them. But I noticed she has mood swing attitude which I must tolerate her sulky face instead of otherwise sigh.

Joyce Ch -- Stay in yr own country n c if u can get a job that pay u 100. Gv jobs if u Hv to yr citizens get those lazy bum men to work.It's not jus 500 ,plus levy plus feed n hse the maid n other expenses it can come up to 1000 plus.

Tay Cheng Hoe -- Foreign domestic worker are like any job, salary should commensurate with performance...if all the maid are sent home at once,the man at home will starve ...

Peter Tan -- No happy news for employers here except maids.The cost of hiring a maid is close to what a lower end worker earns in a month estimate 1k taking into account salary,levy,food and expenses.Certainly not cheap is it? To those who can afford or even if struggling where they have no choice just accept that everything must rise in tandem with inflation.

Fiona Jael Ho -- What about my own salary...kids school fees, hospital bills and now maids salary is increasing. So what's the point of lowing down the levy, may I ask?

Mei Kim -- Take on more responsibility, work hard, and prove to your boss it would be worth it to give you more.

Chow Mincheong -- Pay what is worth.....is better to pay a little bit more if she is loyal, honest n can perform to your acceptance plus satisfaction.

**********1 Dec 2015JA is now in comfort zone, work deteriorated and not keen to get corrected. Doesn't look worried or fear that I will fire her. First week of year end school holidays, she took my girl to playground and came home with a huge bruise on her forehead. Bruise just cleared and today, she was 'out of her safety/careful mind' so my girl fell. Also noticed bruises on her inner thigh... sigh. Is it time to change maid? I know my rough girl could have hit/knock herself but sometimes, I worry it is JA's deliberate fault.

I have CCTV but not in every corner and not hidden so maid can hide from my view. I am aware JA has been frequently napping behind my back. One day, I caught her when I did an earlier home spot check. She shouted 'once a month also cannot?'. Have typed in house rules no naps because I have given her at least 8 hours rest each day. JA wants to 'overwork' herself on her mobile phone every night is not my problem. I do believe I have been nice by not overloading her. Too much free time = naps? I am sure there is something that requires her attention. During school holidays, I am aware that when I am in office, JA is still in bed.... had been doing this for more than two years. To unappreciative maids, I don't think they will feel grateful on such 'tiny matters'. I am not the kind of employer who will check every time her chores are done, nor am I the kind who go into details, ensure everything Sparkling Clean... I did my best to close one eye or some times close two eyes, what more our pro-maid govt and activist-doofus expect me to do? Give FDW the role of master of the house? Human rights means 'vulnerable princess-maid' can push their fault (flew over as FDWs) to somebody else legitimately?Employers are now paying more yet getting 'discounted FDW quality'. I may be strict but certainly not unreasonable like what activist-jerks claimed ....am I that bad, just because I have house rules? I know the market is full of poor working attitude FDWs .... if it concerns my girl's well being then I shouldn't give further chance.... got to go thru the ordeal of recruitment and FDW training.... gambling my life and emptying my pocket!FDWs are paid to work, not going to stay with me thru thick and thin. Maids are not slaves who are purchased and constantly at your mercy. A high salary or good employer do not guarantee you a good helper.... all due to unfair policies created by MOM and the 'Yes' man attitude towards source countries as well as maid agencies. If MOM can be tougher, be more understanding, our lives won't be that bad. PAP is creating the impression we need big countries as good friends so we must please them, even if Sporeans are suffering/stranded and offering 'poor' foreigners a salary that their countries can't even offer at 50%, based on a live-in FDW's monthly cost of S$1500. FDWs have been given employment terms as per Spore MOM regulations and standard contract but they kept demanding something their own country cannot even match! FDWs want good life and high salary .... if another country can offer you what you want, by all means GO if you're qualified and they want to employ! Otherwise, rot in your own country, don't pollute Spore. If Spore FDW market is "sanitized", my fear of getting a lousy FDW will be greatly reduced.

FDWs, the only employee who enjoy live-in benefits yet giving more and more burdensome issues... brainwashed to think employers are responsible for their 'miseries' or failure to enjoy life. All employee are responsible for their own accommodation, meals, transport, insurance, etc but FDWs need not. I am sure readers (except FDWs) of this blog are not spoon fed by employers. I am also very sure, you're responsible for your own living costs ... minus off from your monthly salary. Many people tend to ignore these 'invisible costs', they take for granted and keep badgering for higher maid's starting pay.

Compared to below, are FDWs really having tough ... inhuman lives in Spore? Shouldn't FDWs be grateful, less demanding and be appreciative towards law-abiding/nice employers .... don't be lead astray by activists? We are helping one another, am I not right? Salaries kept going up, Employers have been dutifully paying for FDWs' services yet we didn't get better helpers, is that fair/justifiable?

I hope my future FDWs can be real helpers, don't give me problems, let me concentrate on my work and not her man-made issues/princess attitude. I am not asking to make each and every of my cents worth (nobody is perfect) but at least, don't make me feel like my luck matters when the need to have a new maid arises. Maid agencies and MOM ought to ensure FDWs are truly here to work and willingly carry out their duties as per individual household requirements. Work scope must be clearly outlined to avoid misunderstanding. It is agent's duty to exercise due diligence, ensure the best job match and don't just pocket our money without providing customer satisfaction .... both FDW and Employer are agencies' customer!

Lianhe Zaobao 1 Dec 2015

"The work was really, really hard. I worked long hours and carried heavy sacks of rice and timber pieces from the mountains," the boy said. "But I couldn't give up. I had to work so my younger siblings could go to school."

Millions of children in the Philippines are forced to work at young ages. Child labour is one of the Philippines' most urgent problems and stems from a range of social factors. According to the International Labor Organization, as many as 3 million children work in environments that are considered hazardous and an additional 2.5 million children are forced to work in slightly better but still substandard conditions.

Some children have jobs that place them in immediate physical danger. These risks include exposure to potentially harmful chemicals or sharp tools, and other dangers that may be less obvious but no less risky. Children are often forced to work long hours with few breaks, which takes a toll on their physical development. Others are abused by their employers, both physically and psychologically.

More than 45 percent of people in the Eastern Visayas are poor compared with 25 percent nationwide, according to the World Bank. "Poverty is the main reason why many children leave school," said Donabelle Abalo. "But it's also part of the culture. Many parents don't value education because they didn't finish school themselves." Even though education is free, many children do not attend school because the cost of books, uniforms, meals and transport is prohibitive for their families.

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This blog is not meant for screw-lose activists or loans. My blog aims to gather all FDWs' news scattered everywhere, become a one-stop site for mentally & financially bullied FDWs' employer to beware and learn. Don't pollute this blog with your pro-maid, insensible and selfish comments! Activists posting here are BLIND IDIOTS, IRRITATING freaks and deliberately showing no RESPECT for others... robbing our only breathing space.